U.S. patent number 11,444,570 [Application Number 17/186,782] was granted by the patent office on 2022-09-13 for modular solar skid with enclosures.
This patent grant is currently assigned to OffGrid Power Solutions, LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is OffGrid Power Solutions, LLC. Invention is credited to Raymond Hamilton, Mike Mills, Marc Natividad.
United States Patent |
11,444,570 |
Natividad , et al. |
September 13, 2022 |
Modular solar skid with enclosures
Abstract
A modular solar skid includes a base including a skid, a panel
support structure extending from the skid, at least one solar panel
coupled to the panel support structure, and at least one enclosure
coupled to the skid. The at least one enclosure is located within a
cavity defined between the skid and the panel support
structure.
Inventors: |
Natividad; Marc (Cedar Hills,
UT), Hamilton; Raymond (Riverton, UT), Mills; Mike
(Columbia, MO) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
OffGrid Power Solutions, LLC |
Dexter |
MO |
US |
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Assignee: |
OffGrid Power Solutions, LLC
(Dexter, MO)
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Family
ID: |
1000006560004 |
Appl.
No.: |
17/186,782 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2021 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20210273601 A1 |
Sep 2, 2021 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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62983266 |
Feb 28, 2020 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02S
40/38 (20141201); H02S 20/30 (20141201); H02S
10/40 (20141201) |
Current International
Class: |
H02S
20/30 (20140101); H02S 40/38 (20140101); H02S
10/40 (20140101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Malley, Jr.; Daniel P
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Armstrong Teasdale LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 62/983,266, filed Feb. 28, 2020, which is
hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A modular solar skid comprising: a base comprising a skid; a
panel support structure extending from the skid; and at least one
solar panel coupled to the panel support structure, wherein the
skid and the panel support structure define a cavity therebetween,
the modular solar skid further comprising at least one enclosure
coupled to the skid within the cavity, the enclosure comprising a
battery enclosure configured to retain a plurality of batteries
therein, wherein the battery enclosure comprises: a bottom wall; a
first side wall extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the
skid and perpendicular to the bottom wall; a second side wall
extending parallel to the first side wall and spaced from the first
side wall by a first distance; a first end wall removeably coupled
to the first and second side walls at a first end of the first and
second side walls, the first end wall comprising: a planar wall
plate; a pair of attachment flanges extending perpendicularly from
the wall plate and configured to be removeably attached to the
first and second side walls; and a planar extension configured to
be removeably attached to the bottom wall; and a second end wall
removeably coupled to the first and second side walls at an
opposing second end of the first and second side walls.
2. The modular solar skid of claim 1, wherein the first distance is
at least two times a width of one battery of the plurality of
batteries.
3. The modular solar skid of claim 1, wherein the battery enclosure
includes a ventilation system.
4. The modular solar skid of claim 1, further comprising a
plurality of collections of batteries, each collection of batteries
comprising a sub-skid with a respective subset of the plurality of
batteries coupled thereto.
5. The modular solar skid of claim 1, wherein the at least one
enclosure further comprises an electronics enclosure adjacent to
the battery enclosure.
6. The modular solar skid of claim 5, wherein the electronics
enclosure includes a ventilation system.
7. The modular solar skid of claim 5, wherein the electronics
enclosure is configured to retain at least one of a computing
device, a processor, a memory, a server, data processing
electronics, or a blockchain server.
8. The modular solar skid of claim 5, wherein the electronics
enclosure is water-tight.
9. The modular solar skid of claim 1, wherein the at least one
enclosure further comprises a ballast enclosure configured to
retain a ballast material therein.
10. The modular solar skid of claim 1, wherein the at least one
enclosure further comprises at least one of an electronics
enclosure or a ballast enclosure.
11. A cluster of modular solar skids comprising: a plurality of
modular solar skids comprising: a first solar skid comprising a
base comprising a skid; a panel support structure extending from
the skid; and at least one solar panel coupled to the panel support
structure, wherein the skid and the panel support structure define
a cavity therebetween, the first solar skid comprising at least one
enclosure coupled to the skid within the cavity, the enclosure
comprising a battery enclosure configured to retain a plurality of
batteries therein, and an electronics enclosure, wherein the
battery enclosure comprises: a bottom wall; a first side wall
extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the first solar skid
and perpendicular to the bottom wall; a second side wall extending
parallel to the first side wall and spaced from the first side wall
by a first distance; a first end wall removeably coupled to the
first and second side walls at a first end of the first and second
side walls, the first end wall comprising: a planar wall plate; a
pair of attachment flanges extending perpendicularly from the wall
plate and configured to be removeably attached to the first and
second side walls; and a planar extension configured to be
removeably attached to the bottom wall; and a second end wall
removeably coupled to the first and second side walls at an
opposing second end of the first and second side walls, wherein the
electronics enclosure houses data processing electronics; a
plurality of second solar skids in electrical communication with
the first solar skid, each of the plurality of second solar skids
including a ballast enclosure housing a ballast material
therein.
12. The cluster of modular solar skids of claim 11, wherein each of
the plurality of second solar skids respectively comprises: a base
comprising a skid; a panel support structure extending from the
skid; and at least one solar panel coupled to the panel support
structure, wherein the skid and the panel support structure define
a cavity therebetween.
13. The cluster of modular solar skids of claim 11, wherein the
battery enclosure and the electronics enclosure of the first solar
skid are water-tight.
14. The cluster of modular solar skids of claim 11, wherein the
first solar skid includes a ventilation system configured to
provide ventilation to the battery enclosure and the electronics
enclosure.
15. The cluster of modular solar skids of claim 11, wherein the
plurality of modular solar skids comprises 13 modular solar
skids.
16. The cluster of modular solar skids of claim 11, wherein the
plurality of batteries include a plurality of collections of
batteries, each collection of batteries comprising a sub-skid with
a subset of the plurality of batteries coupled thereto.
17. The cluster of modular solar skids of claim 11, wherein the
plurality of modular solar skids are at least one of electronically
or communicatively coupled together.
Description
BACKGROUND
The present disclosure is directed to solar skids, and more
specifically, to modular solar skids.
More organizations are seeking environmentally friendly solutions
for power usage and energy consumption. For example, businesses are
exploring solar energy to fulfill their energy needs. In addition,
solar energy can be useful in situations where accessing a
traditional power grid is difficult.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
In one aspect, a modular solar skid includes a base including a
skid, a panel support structure extending from the skid, and at
least one solar panel coupled to the panel support structure. The
skid and the panel support structure define a cavity therebetween,
and the modular solar skid further includes at least one enclosure
coupled to the skid within the cavity.
In another aspect, a cluster of modular solar skids includes a
plurality of modular solar skids. Each modular solar skid includes
a base including a skid, a panel support structure extending from
the skid, and at least one solar panel support structure, and at
least one enclosure coupled to the skid. The skid and the panel
support structure define a cavity therebetween, and the modular
solar skid further includes at least one enclosure coupled to the
skid within the cavity. The plurality of modular solar skids
includes a first solar skid including a battery enclosure and an
electronics enclosure, wherein the battery enclosure houses a
plurality of batteries and the electronics enclosure houses data
processing electronics. The plurality of modular solar skids also
includes a plurality of second solar skids in electrical
communication with the first solar skid, each of the plurality of
second solar skids including a ballast enclosure housing a ballast
material therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a
modular solar skid in accordance with the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a rear cutaway view of the modular solar skid shown in
FIG. 1, illustrating a battery enclosure and a primary electronics
enclosure.
FIG. 3 is a rear cutaway view of the modular solar skid shown in
FIG. 1, illustrating a secondary electronics enclosure and a
battery enclosure.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of a
modular solar skid, including a ballast enclosure.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the modular solar skid shown in FIG.
4.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary embodiment of a cluster of modular solar
skids.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an exemplary battery enclosure.
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the battery enclosure shown in FIG.
7.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the modular solar skid shown in FIG. 1
with stacked battery enclosures.
FIG. 10 is a rear view of the modular solar skid shown in FIG. 1
with stacked battery enclosures.
FIG. 11 is a rear sectional view of the modular solar skid shown in
FIG. 1 with stacked battery enclosures.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative collection of
batteries for use with a modular solar skid.
FIG. 13 is an exploded view of a modular solar skid including the
collection of batteries shown in FIG. 12 in an alternative battery
enclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following specification and the claims, reference will be
made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the
following meanings. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include
plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to
be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other
than the listed elements. "Optional" or "optionally" means that the
subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur,
and that the description includes instances where the event occurs
and instances where it does not.
Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification
and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative
representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a
change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a
value modified by a term or terms, such as "about,"
"approximately," and "substantially," are not to be limited to the
precise value specified. In at least some instances, the
approximating language may correspond to the precision of an
instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout the
specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or
interchanged; such ranges are identified and include all the
sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates
otherwise.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary modular solar skid
100. In the illustrated embodiment, the modular solar skid 100
includes a base, which is embodied as a skid 102. Although not
shown, it is contemplated that in an alternative embodiment, the
base may be embodied as a wheeled trailer or other base suitable
for facilitating transportation of modular solar skids. The modular
solar skid 100 also includes a panel support structure 104
extending from the skid 102. In the exemplary embodiment, the panel
support structure 104 extends substantially vertically from the
skid 102. The modular solar skid 100 further includes at least one
solar panel 106 coupled to the panel support structure 104. A
cavity 108 is defined by the area between the skid 102 and the
panel support structure 104. The modular solar skid 100 further
includes at least one enclosure 110 arranged or positioned within
the cavity 108 and, in the exemplary embodiment, coupled to the
skid 102. The at least one enclosure 110 includes at least one of a
battery enclosure 112, a primary electronics enclosure 114 (both
shown in FIG. 2), or a ballast enclosure 202 (shown in FIGS. 4 and
5), each of which is described further herein.
FIG. 2 is a rear cutaway view of a first configuration of the
modular solar skid 100 shown in FIG. 1. The first configuration of
the modular solar skid 100 includes a battery enclosure 112 and an
electronics enclosure 114 arranged within the cavity 108.
Specifically, within the cavity 108, at least one battery enclosure
112 is coupled to the skid 102 adjacent to a primary electronics
enclosure 114. The battery enclosure 112 is configured to retain a
plurality of batteries 116 therein. The primary electronics
enclosure 114 is configured to retain at least one of a computing
device, a processor, a memory, a server, data processing
electronics, or a blockchain server 118. Any of these components
are powered using power stored in the plurality of batteries 116.
These features enable the modular solar skid 100 to power or
control other modular solar skids as well as other external systems
(not shown). The primary electronics enclosure 114 may additionally
or alternatively include control electronics that enable the
modular solar skid to power and/or control other systems via an AC
or DC current. The AC configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, includes
at least one inverter (not specifically shown) to power the other
system(s). In an alternative embodiment, for example, in a DC
current configuration, the modular solar skid 100 does not include
an inverter. Furthermore, in some embodiments at least one of the
battery enclosure 112 and the primary electronics enclosure 114
include a ventilation system 120. The ventilation system 120
includes one or more fans, which are powered using power stored in
the plurality of batteries 116. The ventilation system 120 is
configured to prevent components in a corresponding enclosure from
overheating (e.g., by expelling hot air from inside the battery
enclosure 112 and/or the primary electronics enclosure 114) and/or
keep components from freezing (e.g., by circulating warmed air
within an enclosure).
FIG. 3 is a rear cutaway view of a second configuration of the
modular solar skid 100 shown in FIG. 1. In the second
configuration, the modular solar skid 100 includes a secondary
electronics enclosure 122 and at least one battery enclosure 112.
Specifically, within the cavity 108, at least one battery enclosure
112 is coupled to the skid 102 adjacent to one secondary
electronics enclosure 122. The secondary electronics enclosure 122
may include no on-board electronics. Alternatively, the secondary
electronics enclosure 122 may include electronics (e.g., blockchain
servers) that are controlled by control electronics in a primary
electronics enclosure 114 of another modular solar skid 100. In
some embodiments, the secondary electronics enclosure 122 is
smaller than the (primary) electronics enclosure 114 (shown in FIG.
2), such that the battery enclosure 112 is larger and accommodates
a greater number of batteries 116 therein. In the exemplary
embodiment, electronics enclosures 114, 122 are water-tight to
reduce the risk of water damage to the electronics housed therein.
Likewise, the battery enclosure 112 is water-tight to reduce the
risk of water damage to the batteries 116 housed therein.
FIGS. 4 and 5 are a perspective view and a rear view, respectively,
of a second embodiment of a modular solar skid 200 that includes a
ballast enclosure 202. The modular solar skid 200 does not include
a battery enclosure or an electronics enclosure. The ballast
enclosure 202 defines storage space 204 for ballast material (not
shown), such as sand, dirt, or concrete, in the modular solar skid.
Because there are no battery or electronics enclosures, a
ventilation system is not necessary. The modular solar skid 200 is
electrically coupled to one or more of the modular solar skids 100
shown in FIGS. 1-3, such that energy collected by the solar
panel(s) 206 is stored in the batteries 116 of the other modular
solar skids 100. Modular solar skids 200 may be used, for example,
in locations where it is difficult or undesirable to break ground
to install conventional solar panels (e.g., on landfill sites). In
such cases, the use of a ballasted modular solar skid 200 enables
efficient installation of solar panels without the need to break
ground. For example, the solar skid may be delivered to the site
and positioned as desired (e.g., using a forklift, trailer, etc.).
Thereafter, the ballast material may be delivered to the same
location and positioned atop the skid 102, to ballast the modular
solar skid 200.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary embodiment of a cluster of modular solar
skids 300. The cluster of modular solar skids 300 comprises a
plurality of modular solar skids. The plurality of modular solar
skids includes one or more of a first solar skid 302, such as the
modular solar skids 100 shown in FIGS. 1-3. The first solar skid
302 includes at least one battery enclosure 112 and at least one
primary electronics enclosure 114, wherein the battery enclosure
112 houses a plurality of batteries 116 and the primary electronics
enclosure 114 houses data processing electronics, such as at least
one of a computing device, a processor, a memory, a server, data
processing electronics, or a blockchain server 118, as well as
control electronics. The at least one first solar skid 302 may also
include another modular solar skid including at least one battery
enclosure 112 and at least one secondary electronics enclosure 122,
where the secondary electronics enclosure 122 houses data
processing electronics but no control electronics. The plurality of
modular solar skids also includes a plurality of second solar skids
304, such as the modular solar skids 200 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in
electrical communication with the first solar skid 302, each of the
plurality of second solar skids 304 including a ballast enclosure
202 housing a ballast material therein. This illustrated cluster
300 has the ability to power at least one modular solar skid 306,
such as the modular solar skid 100, shown in FIG. 3. In this
specific embodiment, the first solar skid 302 utilizes an AC
current configuration to power the cluster 300; however, in some
embodiments, the first solar skid 302 utilizes a DC current
configuration to power the cluster 300. The modular solar skids are
arranged in various clusters and configurations and are at least
one of electronically or communicatively coupled together (e.g.,
via wired and/or wireless power and/or data links).
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an exemplary battery enclosure 112,
and FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the battery enclosure 112. The
battery enclosure 112 includes a bottom wall 124, a first side wall
126 extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the skid 102 and
perpendicular to the bottom wall 124, a second side wall 128
extending parallel to the first side wall 126 and spaced from the
first side wall 126 by a first distance 130, a first end wall 132
removeably coupled to the first side wall 126 and second side wall
128, and a second end wall 134 removeably coupled to the first side
wall 126 and second side wall 128. Furthermore, in some embodiments
the first distance 130 is at least two times a width of one battery
of the plurality of batteries 116, such that two or more batteries
116 are arranged side-by-side between the side walls 126, 128
within the battery enclosure 112.
The first end wall 132 of the battery enclosure 112 includes a
planar wall plate 136, a pair of attachment flanges 138 extending
perpendicularly from the planar wall plate 136, and a planar
extension 140. The attachment flanges 138 extend perpendicularly
from the planar wall plate 136 and are configured to be removeably
attached to the first and second side walls 126, 128 (e.g., via
plurality of fasteners). The planar extension 140 is coupleable to
the bottom wall 124 of the battery enclosure 112. Specifically, the
bottom wall 124 includes an attachment flange 142 to which the
planar extension 140 of the first end wall 132 is coupled. The
second end wall 134 is substantially the same as the first end wall
132. The first and second end walls 132, 134 are detachable from
the side walls and the bottom wall 124, which enables easier access
to the batteries 116 in the battery enclosure 112.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the modular solar skid 400 with a
plurality of stacked battery enclosures 112. FIG. 10 is a rear view
of the modular solar skid 400 with stacked battery enclosures 112
retained within an enclosure housing 404, and FIG. 11 is a rear
sectional view of the modular solar skid 400, illustrating the
stacked battery enclosures 112 with a portion of the enclosure
housing 404 removed.
FIGS, 12 and 13 illustrate an alternative collection 502 of
batteries 516 and a modular solar skid 500 including such a
collection of batteries within an alternative battery enclosure
512. In at least some embodiments, the batteries 516 include
two-Volt batteries; in other embodiment, the batteries 516 may have
other voltages, depending on the particular design of the system of
modular solar skids 500. The batteries 516 are positioned on a
sub-skid 518 and arranged thereon in a two-by-four array. In
particular, the sub-skid 518 includes a plurality of slots 520
corresponding to the number and layout of the batteries 516.
Therefore, it should be readily understood that any number or
arrangement of batteries 516 may be realized, in various
embodiments, depending on the size of the sub-skid 518 and the
batteries 516. A plurality of straps 522 couple the batteries 516
to the sub-skid 518. In this arrangement, any single battery 516 or
any number of batteries 516 may be readily removed from the
sub-skid 518 for replacement thereof, by removing the respective
strap 522 and removing/replacing the battery 516 from the sub-skid
518. Moreover, the wiring of the batteries 516 to associated
electronics (not shown in FIG. 12) may be simplified or reduced,
compared to other battery arrangements.
As shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of collections 502 of batteries
516 are arranged in a battery enclosure 530. Specifically, in the
illustrated embodiment, eight collections 502 are positions in the
battery enclosure 530 in a single-layer two-by-four array. In this
way, every battery 516 is accessible within the battery enclosure
530 for inspection, removal, and/or replacement thereof. The
battery enclosure 530 includes end walls 532, side walls 534, and a
ventilation system 120. The battery enclosure 530 is positioned
adjacent to an electronics enclosure 114/122 as described above. A
bottom wall 536 and a top wall 538 extend across both enclosures of
the modular solar skid 500.
In some embodiments, the modular solar skid 500 (and/or the modular
solar skid 100 or the modular solar skid 200) is configured to
collect up to 50 kW of solar power (e.g., about 46.15 kW) per
cluster of solar skids (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6), and can produce
about 20 kVA of AC power with about 6,240 AH AGM of battery power
from the batteries 516. The modular solar skids described herein
may be enabled with wireless (e.g., WiFi, cellular, etc.)
communication capabilities for remote monitoring and/or control
thereof. Some such modular solar skids may be equipped with alarms,
fault alerts, and/or shutdown features (e.g., email, text/SMS,
cellular alerts). The modular solar skids described herein may be
constructed of 12-gauge (2 mm) hot-dip galvanized steel and may be
configured to withstand up to about 105 mph (168 kmph) winds.
Notably, however, each modular solar skid, and any cluster thereof
(e.g., as shown in FIG. 6) may be readily customized depending on
the desired application. For example, the number and mixture of
skids, the skid size, the number of panels per skid, solar panel
size, the number and characteristics of batteries and/or inverters
used, the type of electronics housed, the construction of the
skids, and the angle of the panels (e.g., fixed or single-axis
tracking) may each be varied.
Exemplary embodiments of mats are not limited to the specific
embodiments described herein, but rather, components of mats may be
utilized independently and/or separately from other components
described herein. Although specific features of various embodiments
of the disclosure may be shown in some drawings and not in others,
this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of
the disclosure, any feature of any drawing may be referenced and/or
claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.
* * * * *